On January 30 this year, I had the privilege of attending the regional celebration in Savona, Italy, which had been crowned the first Italian region to achieve Angels Region status. Joining us for the event and the dinner the night before was Andrea Vianello, president of the stroke patient organization ALICe.
Andrea, who used to be a famous TV presenter, was ripped away from that life when he suffered a stroke after developing a carotid artery dissection, most likely caused by a chiropractic manipulation. We all hung onto his every word as he recounted to the audience the story of how he fell out of bed and being unable to to say his childrens’ names for two years after the stroke. Andrea joked that if he ever had kids again, he would give them names that were easier to pronounce. His story was inspirational, but little did I know it would soon become a story that would haunt my own dreams.
Exactly a week after celebrating with Andrea in Italy, I had come down from my home office to have lunch with my family when my wife asked, “What’s wrong with your eye?” I had no clue what she was on about, but I was shocked when I looked into the mirror and realized that my right eye was drooping quite badly and that my two pupils were not the same size.
My wife recommended that I call one of the neurologists I knew, so I called Valeria Caso on FaceTime. Valeria took one look at me and said she suspected I had something called Horner’s syndrome and that I should get to the hospital as soon as possible. I did as I was told and spent the next couple of hours in the emergency department at the Uni Clinic in Mainz, where they quickly did a CT scan and realized that I had two dissections – one in the internal carotid and a smaller one in the vertebral artery. Next thing I knew, I found myself in a place where I never in a million years thought I would be – admitted as a patient in a stroke unit.
The term “ignorance is bliss” took on a new meaning for me as I began dealing with the fact that I’d just been diagnosed with the exact same condition that had led to Andrea having a stroke and being unable to speak or work for two years!
Can you imagine the thought of being forced to “park” your life for that amount of time and waking up with the realization that life as you knew it was over?
I can tell you, that Friday night when I was admitted to the stroke unit in Mainz, I did not close an eye as I was too afraid that I was going to wake up paralyzed like Andrea. I cannot tell you how difficult it is to put all your hope in one little 100mg tablet of Aspirin per day to keep you stroke-free. Luckily for me, God had other plans. As many neurologists have told me since, I must be one of the luckiest people alive today to have had dissections of two arteries, with partial Horner’s syndrome, and not have a stroke.
What does one make of it when you dodge a bullet? I feel like someone who survived a plane crash. My mind still plays tricks on me, and every time I inadvertently sit on my foot, for example, and cause it to fall asleep, I have this huge adrenaline rush thinking that it’s the first sign of a stroke.
When I read Ángel Corredor’s story in the latest edition of The Angels Journey of how his uncle, the powerful farmer, had his life ruined because of a stroke, it sends shivers down my spine, but it also gives me a new resolve.
Having this close call reminded me of what I learned twelve years ago, seeing the impact my mother-in-law’s stroke had on our family. It’s only when it touches you personally that you realize the finality of its impact. And it’s for this reason that I am today even more inspired and driven to fight this disease together with all of you.
It brings tears to my eyes to see how many amazing people are fighting with us. This community is making a difference from the Algarve to Slovakia, from Kenya to Colombia, and as far east as Indonesia and beyond.
Why was I spared? I have no clue, but as a friend told me, now you know why you are involved with Angels. There is still a lot of work to be done. So, let’s go do it.
